Hestia
"What? How did she find us?" I asked.
"Well, my mother has been scrying for you ever since you escaped. I suppose leaving Olympus might have given her insight on your location." Hecate said. She blanched. "The others. We need to get out of here."
"Shadow travel." Hades said.
"My mother is the titaness of darkness. She's the one who taught me how to do that. She would sense it."
"Who is your mother, exactly? And who's that other voice?" I asked.
"My mother is Phoebe, the titaness of Darkness and current holder of the Delphic Oracle. And the other voice-" Hecate grimaced - "My older sister, Asteria, titaness of Fallen Stars and Nocturnal Oracles."
Hades frowned. "I didn't know you and Leto had another sister."
Hecate scowled. I got the feeling she wasn't very fond of her eldest sibling. "Well, we do. Asteria the oldest, Leto's the youngest, I'm in the middle. Asteria was paired with my mother to look for you all, and I was paired with Leto, of course."
"Do you think you could convince them to join us?" I asked.
"No chance. They're both way too loyal to Kronos." she frowned. "But they can't know I'm working with you. I'd be banished to Tartarus or worse."
I wondered absently what was worse than being banished to the Pit.
Then I saw gleam in Hecate's luminescent emerald eyes that meant she had an idea. A very clever, very dangerous idea.
"Mother! Over here!"
I stared at Hecate in shock. "What are you doing?"
"Mother! Asteria! I've found them!" Hecate called again, completely ignoring me.
"Traitor!" Hades exclaimed indignantly.
"Hecate?"
I spun around at the sound of the all-too-close voice. Two women had come into view.
One of them, the one who'd spoken, looked almost our age, but slightly older. She had stark white hair, pale skin, and the same silvery-yellow eyes as Leto. She wore a chiton the same color as the night sky, and a scarf that look like a strip of the dawn horizon, both scattered with live stars that gleamed brightest just before falling off of the fabric, another forming in it's place each time. She would have been one of the most beautiful beings I'd ever seen if not for the expression of disgust on her face.
The woman at her side looked considerably older, perhaps Mother Rhea's age. She had hair and eyes that were both onyx black, and her robes were varying shades of the deepest blacks, blues, and violets.
"Hecate? You found them?" The black-robed woman who I assumed was Phoebe said.
Our former ally smirked. "Your doubt offends me, Mother."
The Titaness of Darkness raised her eyebrows. "I'll admit, I'm impressed." She stepped toward me and I tried to back up, but Hecate snapped her fingers and her Empousai demon grabbed my wrists behind my back, holding me in place.
"Let her-" but my younger brother was cut off when Phoebe raised her arm and the shadows of the Underworld rose, binding him as if they were tangible ropes.
Phoebe ran her hand under my chin. I cringed at her ice-cold touch. The titaness laughed, her fully black eyes glinting with malice.
"The worst is yet to come, dear. Your father is so eager to see you again. And I assure you, this time there will be no escape." She looked to Hecate. "Which ones are these?"
"The two eldest. Hestia and Hades. Leto has the other four at Lord Oceanus's palace. I suspect they've already detained them."
"Leto?" The white-haired titan looked astonished. "You're joking."
"Silence, Asteria." Phoebe said. "It seems," she gave Hecate an impressed look, "We should have more faith in your sisters."
Hecate's expression grew more smug. "We should send a message back to Othrys. The Titan Lord will be very pleased."
"Yes." Phoebe looked at her eldest daughter. "Asteria?"
The silver-eyes titaness shook her head. "I want to see this for myself."
"There's no need for any of us to leave." Hecate summoned a drawstring pouch, seemingly out of thin air. When she pulled the cord, the blackness of the Dark Realm momentarily gave way to a blinding brightness. When it faded, standing in our midst was a young girl in a white dress that shimmered with rainbow colors. She had dark hair and eyes, but her most prominent feature were the golden butterfly's-wings coming out of her back.
"Lady Phoebe. Lady Asteria. Lady Hecate." She nodded to each titaness in turn.
"Iris. Inform Lord Kronos that his children have been found." Phoebe said.
"Yes. He certainly wouldn't want to be kept in the dark about something like this." For some reason Hecate's eyes regained that evil-genius glint.
The winged girl, Iris, paled. I wasn't sure if it was surprise at the news or fear at facing my father.
"We have two of them here in the Underworld and the other four are with Lord Oceanus. Now off with you."
Iris nodded and disappeared in another flash of rainbow lights.
"We should be off as well." Phoebe said. She waved her arm and the shadows began to rise around us, then stopped abruptly.
"Wha- ahh!"
My eyes widened in surprise. The titaness of Darkness had been thrown backward by her own shadows.
The darkness wrapped itself around Asteria as well, then hurled the two immortals across the plain. I looked to the source of the new power and was shocked to see Hades.
"How did you do that?" I asked him.
"I don't-" he started, then his brow knit in confusion. "Where'd the demon go?"
I blinked, and took my hands out from behind my back, facing no resistance. The Empousa had disappeared, along with it's master.
"Hecate's gone as well." he said.
"Do you think she ran?" I asked.
"She must have." he answered.
"You. Little. Brats!" I heard Asteria's voice.
I turned to see that she and her mother were back on their feet. The shadows started to move against them again, but Phoebe sent some sort of dark energy through them, and my brother flew backward.
The elder titaness laughed. "You show some promise in umbrakinesis, boy, but you're foolish to think you can defeat me at my own ability."
At this point I was panicking. Hades was either unconscious or too groggy to fight, and Phoebe was obviously more practiced than he. And I never did anything significant but stare at pretty lights.
Suddenly the titanesses' eyes widened, and they started to back up. I turned around to see what they were looking at, and gasped. The fire of the River Phlegethon was rising like a tidal wave, and as I watched, it crashed over Phoebe, Asteria, and I.